Israeli far-right minister says Hamas disarmament deal 'unacceptable'
Israel's far-right national security minister slammed as "unacceptable" a deal agreed by Hamas that includes the group handing over its weapons and the gradual withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza.
"After the October 7 massacre, the blood of every Hamas member is on his head, and therefore a commitment to stop the assassinations of the terrorist organisation's murderers is tantamount to agreeing to Hamas organising for the next massacre," Itamar Ben Gvir wrote on Telegram, adding: "The assassinations in Gaza must continue, the encouragement of immigration must happen, Israel must win."
Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir joins pro-settlement Israelis on a march towards the Gaza Strip under the slogan "After 21 years, we're returning home", referring to Israel's unilateral withdrawal of around 8,500 Jewish settlers from the Gaza Strip in 2005, near Kibbutz Zikim and Israel’s border with Gaza, in southern Israel, July 19, 2026. © Amir Cohen, Reuters
Israel carries out huge detonations near Lebanon's Beaufort castle
Israeli forces carried out a series of powerful detonations overnight near the UNESCO-listed Beaufort castle in southern Lebanon, Lebanese state media reported, with Israel saying it destroyed tunnels used by Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah.
"Israeli forces triggered very powerful explosions around midnight," specifically "in the area of the Beaufort fortress," Lebanon's National News Agency (NNA) said, adding that the huge blasts resounded over a large area, shattering glass in nearby villages.
The Crusader-era castle, located in an area occupied by Israel, was added last week to UNESCO's List of World Heritage in Danger.
Hamas says first step in implementing disarmament deal is Israel's commitment to stop killing Palestinians
Hamas said the first step in implementing the phased disarmament agreement in Gaza announced by US President Donald Trump is a commitment from Israel to stop killing Palestinians and end attacks.
The group said handing over heavy weapons was also conditional on Israel ending hostilities and withdrawing from Gaza.
Kuwait shoots down Iranian drones targeting military sites, defence ministry says
Kuwaiti forces destroyed Iranian drones targeting "vital and military facilities", the defence ministry said.
"The hostile targets were engaged and destroyed. This resulted in material damage due to falling shrapnel, without any human casualties being recorded," it said in a statement.
- Trump announces agreement for 'complete disarmament' of Hamas
- Hamas officials say deal agreed on group's arms, gradual Israel withdrawal from Gaza
- Several Palestinians wounded in Israeli air strike hours after disarmament deal announced, medics say
- Iran's Revolutionary Guards struck two tankers trying to cross Hormuz Strait under US 'air escort'
Iran's Revolutionary Guards struck two tankers trying to cross Hormuz Strait under US 'air escort'
Iran's Revolutionary Guards said that they had struck two tankers attempting to pass through the strategic Strait of Hormuz under the "air escort" of the US military.
The Guards said the "non-compliant oil tankers ... were struck and brought to a halt, while four other oil tankers quickly changed course and returned to their previous positions".
Several Palestinians wounded in Israeli air strike hours after disarmament deal announced, medics say
Several Palestinians were wounded in an Israeli air strike in Gaza hours after US President Donald Trump's announcement that a deal had been reached on Hamas disarmament, Gaza medics said.
What we know about the Hamas disarmament deal announced by Trump
Israel must approve disarmament agreement before Hamas will implement, Hamas official says
Israel must approve the phased disarmament agreement brokered by US President Donald Trump's Board of Peace before Hamas will implement it, Ghazi Hamad, a Hamas official involved in the negotiations, told Reuters.
Once both sides approve the agreement text, Israel must begin implementing the agreement's first phase, Hamad said.
Iran receives bodies of Revolutionary Guards killed by US-Saudi strikes in Iraq
Iranian state media said that the bodies of five members of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) killed in joint US-Saudi strikes in Iraq this week had been returned.
"The bodies of five IRGC members killed in the recent US-Saudi attacks on Iraq were brought into the country through the Mehran border crossing," in western Ilam province, the IRNA state news agency reported.
The United States and Saudi Arabia said on Wednesday they had struck Iran-backed militants in Iraq in response to recent attacks on the Gulf kingdom.
The strikes targeted positions belonging to the Hashed al-Shaabi, an Iraqi armed coalition that includes several powerful pro-Iran groups, killing at least 20 militants, including the five Iranians.
Iran military says it targeted a US base in Kuwait with drones in retaliation for Qeshm strike
Iran's military said it launched drone strikes targeting US military facilities in Kuwait.
The army said in a statement it targeted "fighter aircraft shelters, satellite communications systems and equipment storage facilities at Ahmad al-Jaber Air Base in Kuwait".
There was no immediate comment from the US Central Command (CENTCOM).
The Iranian army said the strikes came "in response to the recent aggression by the terrorist US military against our country and its brutal attack on a residential home on Qeshm Island".
Local media reported on Thursday that three members of a family, including a two-year-old child, were killed in US strikes on Qeshm Island in the Strait of Hormuz waterway.
Israel will not be involved in Hamas disarmament, official says
Ghazi Hamad, a member of Hamas's negotiating team, said that Israel would not be carrying out the task of disarming the Palestinian militant group.
"Israel will not intervene in the issue of disarmament. The National Committee is the body that will undertake this task," he said, referring to the National Committee for Administration of Gaza (NCAG).
Hamad said the movement was making "concessions for the sake of our people in the Gaza Strip, to save them from killing and displacement".
There was no immediate statement from Israel.
Hamas officials say deal agreed on group's arms, gradual Israel withdrawal from Gaza
Senior Hamas officials told AFP on Friday that the agreement reached with Israel includes provisions addressing the group's weapons and the gradual withdrawal of Israeli forces from the Gaza Strip.
"An agreement has been reached regarding the issue of weapons ... Furthermore, an agreement has been reached on a gradual withdrawal of (Israeli forces)" from the strip, a Hamas official said, adding that the Islamist movement now expects the mediators and the Board of Peace to ensure that Israel complies with the terms of the deal.
Cairo will host Gaza mediator meeting on phase two of ceasefire plan
Cairo is set to host a meeting "soon" of the Gaza truce mediators, which also include the United States, Qatar and Turkey, state-linked Al-Qahera News reported early Friday.
The news outlet, which is linked to the state intelligence services that manage Gaza negotiations, did not specify when the meeting would take place, but said that it would discuss implementing the second phase of the Gaza ceasefire plan, a roadmap for which Hamas and Palestinian factions have agreed.
Trump: Israeli forces will withdraw from Gaza once disarmament is complete
The US president has said Israeli forces would withdraw from Gaza after the disarmament of Hamas is complete, and that an International Stabilisation Force would work with a new Palestinian police force to take control of the strip.
"Under this agreement, Gaza will finally be in the hands of a new Palestinian government that serves its PEOPLE," Trump said on Truth Social.
Trump announces agreement for 'complete disarmament' of Hamas
US President Donald Trump has said that his Board of Peace has reached an agreement to disarm the Palestinian group Hamas and all other armed groups in Gaza.
"This agreement is a critical step towards Gaza finally being governed by a new Palestinian government that will work closely with the Board of Peace to help the Palestinian people," Trump wrote on the Truth Social website on Thursday.
"At the same time, Israel will have the security it deserves, with Gaza no longer used as a base for terror attacks."
- A US attack killed three people, including a two-year-old child, on Iran 's Qeshm island, the Fars news agency reported after the US military said it wrapped up a heavy wave of strikes.
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Jordan's military said Thursday that its air defences shot down five Iranian missiles targeting its territory, adding the attack caused no casualties. Iran's Revolutionary Guards later confirmed launching an attack on Jordan's Al Azraq air base, saying they targeted US aircraft there.
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The US military said it struck dozens of Revolutionary Guard targets in Iran, including military command centres and drone facilities, in a two-hour operation launched after Tehran fired ballistic missiles at US forces in the Middle East.
(FRANCE 24 with AFP, AP and Reuters)
